


When You Were Gone

by bisexual_attrocititties



Category: Harley Quinn (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexuality, Character Arcs, Drama & Romance, Emotions, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gay, Gay Panic, LIKE A LOT OF ANGST, Love, Love Confessions, Mutual Pining, Romance, Sad with a Happy Ending, Separations, Time Skips, Useless Lesbians, harlivy - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:28:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25717282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bisexual_attrocititties/pseuds/bisexual_attrocititties
Summary: Takes place during an Alternate Timeline, where Police Commissioner Gordon isn't actually trying to hijack Ivy's and Kiteman's wedding, and Harley leaves when being told to. Except Harley actually leaves Gotham thinking that she has no place in Ivy's new life. Follow's Harley and Ivy's journey into a relationship.I loved the ending of season two, but I wish that it wasn't so rushed as some of the thing's Ivy said actually hurt Harley a lot. Basically this story is a long drawn out version of Ivy and Harley getting together.
Relationships: Charles "Chuck" Brown/Pamela Isley temporarily, Pamela Isley & Harleen Quinzel, Pamela Isley/Harleen Quinzel
Comments: 30
Kudos: 211





	1. 1. Harley

"Maybe I just don't fit into Ivy's new life," Harley sighed, trying to bite back tears. Ivy had only minutes ago had told her to leave, and that her anger was getting the best of her. As she took a flower out of the vase, she considered that this could maybe her last memory of Ivy, a plant at her wedding. 

Tucking the plant into her hair, she looked up at Clayface laughing along with the other guests, King Shark and his wife in seemingly marital bliss. Harley watched as she felt like this was the last time her crew would be together. Harley didn't belong here, and that was a fact that she needed to understand. Putting her head down, Harley walked through the doors of the Corn Factory, crying softly, tears treading down her face. Ivy had meant everything to her, and Harley had meant nothing in comparison to Kiteman. She knew her place.

Quietly calling a taxi, Harley wondered where she could go. She knew that once Ivy came back from her honeymoon, she would walk in through the doors of the hotel and gloat about the married life to Kiteman. Harley couldn't bear the idea of that, of listening to Ivy being happy without her. It was selfish, and sick that Harley felt that way. Maybe she could go back to Arkham, or what was left of the miserable place. She watched as the taxi pulled up, telling it to go back to the hotel. She would be gone before the others got back. Where she would go was still unknown.

The entire car ride, Harley sat sniffling in her seat, replaying memories of her and Ivy. Of the time they broke out of Gotham, defeated Joker together, even killed him for a short while. She had made all these milestones with her and now they were all she had left. How could Harley be so stupid, of course acting on those feelings would ruin her relationship with Ivy, why couldn't she have watched and sat quietly, leaving Ivy in peace to be with Kiteman, to fall in love with none of the hardships Harley had caused.

Arriving at the hotel, Harley grabbed a duffle bag, stuffing her clothes into it. She grabbed her teddy bear and that cool necklace she had from Barry. She stuffed her bag full of trinkets, cash, and small memorabilia she couldn't afford to leave behind. She looked at the photo's she had framed around her room. She grabbed the one she had of her brother and her all those years ago when she was still sane. She couldn't and wouldn't leave that behind. She placed her phone on the bed, she would pick up a burner phone on the way to wherever she was going. She looked at the photo's she had gathered over the years, mostly pictures with Ivy. The wound was still fresh, the cut still hurt. She smiled at the picture of her and Ivy, rubbing her thumb over it tenderly before putting it down in silence.

After she changed into something more appropriate, leaving behind her black and red costume on the bed, she grabbed a pen and began to write a note for the guys,

I'm sorry, but I can't be here right now. I don't know when I will be back, hopefully soon. Until I'm back Ivy's in charge.

Just writing her name made Harley tear up a bit. She knew the recovery period for her to get better was going to be a long time. She had been a psychiatrist after all, and she wouldn't diminish her feelings or assume she would get better in the span of a few days. Grabbing a car off the street, Harley shoved her duffle bag and bat into the back, getting into the driver's side, she began to drive. She looked at the radio, before agreeing with herself that the journey she was going to take would have to be a silent one.

~✶~

It had been 2 weeks since she left Gotham, and she had yet to make the process. After driving as far as the car would take her, she ended up in a motel, where she spent her first few nights crying herself to sleep and trying to forget the events that had led her to that spot. From there she had hitched a car ride further east until she landed in another motel. She spent a night there before she decided to rent a property from the hotel manager, a small shack with barely any connection to the internet, no service and a shitty heating system, but it was enough for Harley and it was cheap as hell.  
She had spent the last week and a half crying as she read some shitty romantic novels that she had bought when she was in town. She felt that they had added on nicely to the vibe she had going of absolute depression, and self-pity. She spent her nights, crying over the loss of her friendship, and even in some cases thinking about how she could have avoided this by staying with the Joker. At least he had made it easier by being a psychotic jackass, so Harley didn't have a hard time getting over him.

But Ivy. Ivy was beautiful and gorgeous with her dark green skin, and red hair that had always been flawlessly conditioned. She never had an off day, she always looked good. Her eyeliner had always had a perfect wing, and her lips always adorned with that green lipstick. And Ivy was kind and nice, and genuinely cared about plants the way a mother cared for her child. Ivy was never biased and was always so decisive even when it was hard for her. She always dressed fashionably and had the aura of elegance and power wherever she would go. But that's not why Harley loved her. Harley loved her because sometimes, Ivy would quietly talk to her plants when she got stressed. She loved her because Ivy often mixed up her lefts and rights and used her hands to tell the difference. Harley loved her because sometimes, she'd wipe her face with the back of her hand and smear her lipstick. Harley thought Ivy was perfect, in all ways.  
After another week with her days and nights spent loving Ivy in her mind, she understood why Ivy chose Kiteman and not her. Though it hurt she understood. Kiteman was kind, and generous just like Ivy, he loved her, and he made her happy. He always thought about what was best for her. He was the person Ivy deserved. A person who would look after Ivy, and would give her whatever she wanted. He was Ivy's everything, Harley was not.

She spent the weeks after that crying, slowly rebuilding her self-confidence until she had realised she had been gone for two months. She thought about her friends, King Shark, Clayface, Selina and even to some extent she missed Joker and Batman and the Justice League. In the past two months, all the things she had become accustomed to in Gotham didn't exist anymore, at least not in her new life. She hadn't planned a high-speed heist, she hadn't stolen a single thing, she had done nothing. She had paid for everything in the house she owned, she had been reading the books she could find at the bookstore, though they were mostly comics. She was starting to enjoy this new lifestyle she had. Where she wasn't on the run and wasn't constantly beating up people for breaking into her house. Where her life wasn't in danger with every decision she made. Where she wore jeans and tank tops, rather than polyester shorts everywhere. She knew she would have to go back to Gotham eventually, but she enjoyed it here, and she wanted to make the most of her life here.

She had yet to make friends, being a recluse inside of her shack meant that she rarely left the land she owned. She missed her high-energy club life that she was used to. She knew there was a club in town, a very shitty nightclub, but the only one for miles around. And she knew there were people her age in town, but whenever she went out it was full of oldies shopping for produce, so she didn't interact with them.

Still, she spent her days thinking of Ivy about how she was doing with Kiteman and if they were happy or not. Wondering about how the wedding went, and if it ran smoothly. Ivy remained in her head most days, doing thing such as washing the dishes would trigger memories Harley had of them together. It hurt severely thinking of how Kiteman had taken her place in Ivy's life, but she couldn't blame him, she could only blame herself for ruining their friendship. For them, for Ivy to be happy, Harley couldn't be there. She had created enough problems.

It had only been a few days since her 2-month-away anniversary when she spotted a magazine on the shelf of her local shop. Batman was posed on the cover, big letters reading out, 'Where have the villains gone!'. She was bewildered, though she wasn't all that far from Gotham, she didn't expect its news to be here. She knew she shouldn't have bought it, she knew that it would set back all of her progress yet she couldn't stop herself. Yet she swiped the magazine off the shelf and drove home quickly, desperate to read its content. She rushed into her house, promptly putting away all the food and things she bought. Sitting on the couch and opening up the magazine to the page.

She read about how Joker hadn't been seen in months, though his goons had continued to create mayhem in Gotham. She assumed that he was still with Bethany, and she was happy for him, even though he gave her shitty advice all those months ago. She read about how two-face was still running his crimes, albeit not very successfully. She even read about how Batman and the Justice League was doing. As she skimmed across the pages trying to find any mention of her friends or Ivy, she found nothing about them committing any crimes, even failed ones or them being seen. That was until she got to the end, in a small paragraph that detailed the fact that her gang including her, and Ivy had been missing from action for the last 2 months. There was no mention of Ivy's wedding, so Harley believed it had gone on without a hitch.

She knew that her recovery would take a long time, but she was foolish to believe that the gang would just continue without her. Maybe they had disbanded? Maybe there was nothing left for her in Gotham? The theories in her head kept going throughout the night. Had King Shark moved back to the Shark Kingdom, maybe Clayface had gotten an acting gig, and was working in the local theatre. Ivy was probably enjoying married life with Kiteman and was probably pulling away from the crime scene. As she went to bed that night, she questioned whether it was worth it to return to Gotham.

Harley spent another month entertaining the idea of never moving back to Gotham. She had somehow managed to make herself believe that there was nothing left for her in Gotham, that she was no longer needed there. She had accepted the idea that the group had disbanded, that they had led happier lives without her in it. So, she stayed put, reading the magazine that gave her a glimpse at Gotham life. It wasn't until a few weeks later, coming close to 4 months of living alone when she read something that surprised her in the magazine.

The ex-crew of missing criminal Harley Quinn broke into the Joker's hideout on Tuesday, believing the self-proclaimed Queen of Crime to be held hostage. Poison Ivy, Clayface and King Shark entered through the back, causing 32 casualties, believed to mostly be the Joker's goons. It is unknown whether they found Harley Quinn.

It went on, continuing to explain stuff about how long Harley had been missing and her connection to Joker, but to Harley, this was confirmation that she was wanted, that Ivy was looking for her, that her friends were looking for her. Harley jumped up in happiness, bouncing around her small house before drooping over the couch realising that Ivy was looking for her. That if she went back, she would have to face Ivy. By now, she still held feeling's for Ivy, she hadn't seen her in months, but she was ready to move on.

Harley immediately began preparing for her leave for Gotham that night, calling to end the lease she had over the house. She would leave for Gotham that week, giving her enough time to finish the food that was left in her fridge and give her enough time to enjoy the town as she had been too busy wallowing in her sorrows. Harley looked at herself in the mirror, she was ready to move on and she knew how to do it.

Running to her room, Harley went into her dresser to find the dress she had bought when she believed she would be staying in this town for forever. It was a sparkly red mini-dress, reminiscent of something she owned back in Gotham and reminiscent of her life before. She quickly put it on before dolling herself out in makeup and doing her hair. It had been so long since she had dyed it, that the blue and pink had faded, leaving her hair entirely bleached blonde. Without her signature look, Harley looked so normal, except for the bleached skin which wouldn't go away no matter how much tanning she did. Harley was ready, and the first thing to start her last week in this town was to go to that shitty club.

And so, as she turned the front door's handle, Harley knew that this would be the first step to moving on without Ivy.


	2. 2. Ivy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The point of view of Ivy, from the wedding to the entire four months of Harley being away. Also a bit of Kiteman x Ivy drama at the start.

The entire wedding congregation stood up as they watched the bride run down the aisle, her white dress flowing behind her. The groom watching on, his mouth opened. As Ivy opened the doors to the corn factory running outside, she stopped standing in her breathlessness. She knew as soon as Kiteman mentioned children that she couldn't do this. She should have said no to the engagement, why didn't she say no to the wedding? In her panicked thinking, she couldn't hear the doors opening yet again, this time a suited figure leaving.

"Babe, what's going on?" Kiteman stood behind her, he didn't know why he was asking her, he already knew what was happening. He had seen the look in her eyes during his vows to her. He had written those vows believing that's what Ivy wanted to hear, but it seems that he was wrong.

"I can't do this, I'm sorry, I just can't do this." Ivy stood back faced to Kiteman, she understood she was being a coward, doing it like this, but she just couldn't face him. Not like this. Not with tears streaming down her face, not with the realisation that she had just fucked everything up that was going good in her life .

"Is this about me, about Harley?" He knew she was lying when she said that they meant nothing, but he was so sure that she would change her feelings towards him. That she could love him just as much as she loved Harley.

"Yes, but no, I'm sorry." She didn't know what to say to him, how could she tell him that she had been faking her excitement to marry him, faking the love she felt towards him. And shit, she hadn't thought about Harley, how she would have to face her after telling Harley to leave her and Kiteman’s wedding. How could she tell her best friend that? Why did she tell her that? The thoughts swirled in her head; she knew that she had messed up badly.

"So, you don't want to marry me, huh?" Charles knew the answer, he just needed to hear it from her, something that he wished that Ivy had said in the first place instead of dragging him through all of this.

There was no answer, Ivy was still sniffling, back turned towards him. Kiteman needed to hear it from her, he had tried so hard to forget Ivy cheating on him, to forget all of her transgressions, and yet, he had it handed back to him on a plate, in the middle of his wedding. He moved in front of Ivy, careful not to touch her in case he set her off.

"Ivy you can't expect to do this to me and give me no answer. You can't expect me to let you keep treating me like this, especially after this shit you pulled!" He gestured to the waiting wedding angrily. He was angry at himself, at how long he allowed himself to believe Ivy's charade.

"I'm sorry." It was the only thing that came out. Ivy was still crying, her head tipped down. Her hands trying to wipe away the tears flowing. When he started to talk about having children with her, a chilling sense of fear settled into Ivy's bones. She was scared of this future with Kiteman, and now it was bubbling out of her in the form of tears. She had tried to stop it, holding her breath, and shutting her eyes, but it was like a leaking faucet, never-ending.

"So, this is it." Charles stared at her, waiting for some form of rebuttal. He waited, knowing that everyone inside the corn factory had probably heard his outburst at Ivy. He watched as she whimpered, and slowly rose her head to face him.

"I-" She stopped before she could say anymore. She didn't know if there was anything left to say. What could she say? What could fix this? She didn't know how she could fix this pain. Everything was beyond her control. She had messed everything up to the point of no return, she didn't know what she could do now.

"No, I get it. I may be simple, but I am not a fool-" He sighed, looking at the corn factory behind his now ex-fiancée, "-Look, I'll deal with this. I'm sorry it had to end this way, Ivy." He looked into her eyes before bowing his head, giving her a nod and moving towards the doors of the corn factory. He went in telling everyone that it was over, the wedding, and him and Ivy.

Ivy sobbed quietly before moving to get a taxi to the broken-down hotel, to find Harley. She needed to find her, and she didn't want to be here when all the guests got out and saw her crying. Rushing into the first taxi she saw, and ordering it to get to Harley quickly, Ivy sat in the back crying quietly as she watched the city of Gotham pass her by until she got to the hotel. She practised her apology to Harley in her mind, over and over again.

I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that.

I'm sorry, I messed everything up.

I'm sorry, I don't know what I'm doing.

When Ivy arrived at the hotel, she quietly entered in search for her. She looked around, seeing if there was any sign of Harley in the main lobby, sunlight streamed through the broken glass ceiling of the place. Stepping over the damaged furniture and the trash that the crew left around the place, Ivy made her way towards Harley's room. Looking at the photos the crew had littered over the wall. Ivy was in some of them, from the most memorable heists, to just them chilling at the park.

Ivy soon reached Harley's door. She stood outside, her hand resting on the handle. She knew she had to face Harley, but all the practice apologies she had muttered in the car ride meant nothing now that she was standing outside Harley's door. Taking deep breaths, she paused, could she do this, could she tell Harley the truth.

Turning the knob of the door handle, she opened the door to see no Harley, but only her polyester suit laid on the neatly made bed. Nothing big had seemed to change in her room, only a few photos missing from their hooks, and some objects missing from her shelves. Where was she? Ivy thought as she went to check the on-suite bathroom, finding that Harley wasn't there, and neither was her toiletries. Ivy in fear of something happening to Harley, immediately called her, that was until she heard the faint ringing from inside Harley's bedroom. 

Rushing back inside to see Harley's phone vibrating on her dresser, Ivy looked at the note next to it,

I'm sorry, but I can't be here right now. I don't know when I will be back, hopefully soon. Until I'm back Ivy's in charge.

Harley had left. Ivy checked her drawers realising that most of her clothing was gone. Harley had left her. Ivy sunk to the floor, leaning against Harley's bed, breathing rapidly, tears beginning to flow from her eyes. She had left, Ivy had hurt Harley to the point where she left. Ivy sat there crying. What had she done? 

It wasn't until 20 minutes later when Clayface and King Shark arrived back at the hideout in search of finding Harley to tell her about the failed wedding she missed, that they instead found Ivy still in her wedding dress, sobbing on the floor of Harley's room holding a note. Both of them had tried to console the crying woman, the best that they could until they realised that nothing was getting through to her. They quickly called Selina and the rest of Ivy's bridesmaids, alerting them of her state and whereabouts. Soon Ivy was being comforted by her friends on Harley's bedroom floor, still wailing, as everything she had done in the past week came back to her.

From the sleeping with Harley twice and cheating on her now ex-fiancé, telling Harley that she wasn't in love with her although she was, parademons, being possessed and her deepest secrets being exploited, her cheating exposed to Charles, her disastrous wedding, and now her best friend leaving after Ivy hurting her. She had enough to cry about for the next few years, and so she stayed there crying. She couldn't stop.

When Ivy had eventually calmed down, over an hour later, she was calmly reminded that Harley had left her in charge, and Ivy's first order of business was to find Harley Quinn.

~✶~

It had been three and a half months without Harley. Ivy had spent all that time trying to find her, searching for where she could have gone. Ivy had gone to Harley's parents’ house, she had visited every hotel or motel in the city of Gotham trying to see if a Harley Quinn had checked in anywhere, she checked with any of their mutual friends if Harley was with them, she had even asked Batman with help tracking her, but to no avail. Nothing turned up, Harley had just gone. Ivy spent the night's crying alone in bed, wishing that Harley would return to Gotham so she could apologise to her for what she had said, and tell Harley that she loved her, and hold her forever.

Ivy had moved into Harley's room, after a month of her being away. She realised that if Harley came back in the of middle night, she would want to be the first one to see her. So, she had spent the past two months in Harley's room, where she worked with the crew into trying to find Harley. She looked on records of the neighbouring cities, figuring Harley couldn't have gone far but there was no mention of a Harleen Quinzel buying a house or renting one. She had no clue where Harley was, it had been three months, she could have left the country, or driven past a border, where Ivy wouldn't ever find her.

By now, the crew and some of Ivy's close friends had realised that she was going slightly insane with her efforts to find her best friend. Whilst Ivy realised that Harley would never return to the Joker, although some part of her had thought it a small possibility, Ivy didn't exactly trust the Joker. So, when Clayface accidentally brought up the idea that Harley could be held hostage or in danger, Ivy jumped and clung to that theory. And who else could Ivy blame other than the Joker?

So, they had a plan of breaking into his main hideout in the abandoned theme park, in hopes of finding Harley. Whilst King Shark and Clayface, and even Selina, had tried to deter Ivy from this mission, nevertheless she would not waver. And when that plan had went bust, leaving the warehouse with a plethora of injuries and more bodies added to their individual kill counts but no Harley. No Harley anywhere, not even Joker or any of the goons had a clue where she was.

Now Ivy was back to square one, with nothing. With no Harley, and no confidence that she would come back. Ivy hadn't realised how much she needed Harley until it was moments like these that she had gotten accustomed to in the past four months Harley had been gone. Harley was a natural leader, that the crew needed. She was spontaneous, optimistic and fun-loving, which allowed Ivy to have small glimpses into a hope that usually her pessimism blocked. Harley was everything Ivy wanted, and now she couldn't express it. Ivy had spent the months before Harley had left subduing her feelings, thinking that it would be better for everyone, and now she regretted it with her soul. Her incompetence to explain her feelings to Harley, to Kiteman and to everyone else, had now left her with a struggling criminal crew, best friendless, single and depressed.

So, as Ivy laid in Harley's bed that night, wondering if Harley would ever return, she heard small footsteps nearing the door from the outside in the corridor. Ivy first dismissed it as Selina, until she realised that Selina would usually come in through the window and that it was at least 3 a.m., way too late for that. Ivy sat up in bed, just in time as the person outside opened the door.

"Ivy, what are you doing in my bed?" 

"Harley."


	3. 3. A mess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harley and Ivy finally meet after four months. Harley is most definitely surprised to find Ivy in her bedroom. Ivy is surprised that Harley came back. Both of them update each other in their lives, some happy news and some bad news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this took so long, I've had to celebrate like four different occasions in the past week, so I couldn't get much writing done. Also, this part focuses on both Harley and Ivy's POV and switches between them a bit, unlike the last two chapters.

"Harley." She had just decided to come back to Gotham after spending four months getting over Ivy, and the first thing she gets as a welcome present was a pyjama-clad Poison Ivy in _her_ bed.

Within seconds, Ivy had rushed over to engulf Harley in a hug, holding onto her. Harley reciprocated, despite knowing that she probably shouldn't. The two embraced for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's long-awaited presence. It had been four months since Harley had seen Ivy, and to see her like this, with moonlight streaming through the cracks in the curtains illuminating Ivy's face, where she wished she had come home sooner.

On the other hand, Ivy looked down at Harley, seeing all the ways she had changed. Whilst Ivy had spent most days looking at a photo of Harley, she had never envisioned to see her like this, calm and serene. Her red and blue dye was gone, her hair flowing over her shoulders. She was wearing a sweater and some jeans, which was rare. And lastly, Harley wasn't wearing a speck of makeup, no eyeliner, no lipstick, no concealer, no nothing.

Ivy was paler than Harley remembered, but it made her red hair, that she adored, stand out even more. Although there was a height difference, Harley had never minded craning her head up to look at Ivy at all times. Harley thought that she was the most beautiful girl to have walked the face of the earth. Ivy was still as gorgeous as she had left her on Ivy's wedding day. 

Suddenly reminded of the fact that Ivy was married, Harley quickly broke off the hug, and moving away from Ivy, she placed her bag down on her bed, leaving Ivy behind her. Harley began to unpack.

"Where did you go then?" Ivy watched as Harley unloaded her bag on to her bed. She observed, Harley's long hair and her figure, taking it in for the first time after her long impending realisation that she loved Harley.

"I just drove, an' some guy let me stay at his for a bit, nothing much," Harley rambled, she was tired, and she was currently experiencing what could only be called a major mental and emotional crisis after being welcomed by the very person she was trying to get over for the past four months.

Ivy didn't answer, she just watched Harley's back flexing as she unpacked. The darkness of the room somehow amplified the awkward silence between the two supposed best friends.

"Why were you here Ive, I mean in my bed?" Harley stopped packing to send a glance over her shoulder at the stunned Ivy. _Was Harley upset that she was here?_

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay and all. Uh, I missed you a lot, and y' know wanted to see you..." Ivy spoke quietly stammering through her sentence. Harley had always been easy to read before she left, and now Ivy could not even guess what Harley was feeling. Of course, Harley was upset, Ivy had kicked her out of the wedding.

Harley hummed, whether it was a positive or negative Ivy could not tell. Harley still had her back to Ivy and was currently rummaging through her things. Harley was surprised, she knew that Ivy loved her _(obviously in a friend way)_ but she hadn't expected Ivy to have missed her so much that she would move in with the guys.

"Well uh you've seen me now, I guess you can go back to Kiteman and stuff." Harley didn't mean it maliciously, and she didn't want Ivy to get the wrong impression of what she was saying. She was genuinely happy for Ivy and Kiteman, even if she wasn't there to see it herself.

Ivy stood silently. Did Harley think that Ivy and Kiteman were still together? That was impossible, every news outlet in Gotham had practically covered the story of her leaving Charles at the altar inside out. Ivy had spent months after the wedding turning down invites and questions from Gotham's largest gossip shows. But Harley hadn't been in Gotham, Harley had been somewhere else.

"Tomorrow, you gotta tell me about the honeymoon and all. Was it good? I'm sorry I wasn't around but I wanna hear about it." Harley continued rambling. She couldn't deal with the silence that the strain of her and Ivy's relationship had imposed.

"Harley..." Ivy broke her silence, staring at her bewildered. _Is that why Harley didn't come back?_ She knew that Harley had feelings for her but wasn't aware of how strong they were. Had her and Kiteman's wedding been so destructive towards their relationship, that Harley felt she had to _leave_?

Disregarding Ivy's call for her, Harley continued to talk more about Ivy's honeymoon and wedding, uttering her sorries for not being around, and wishing them the best in their lives. Harley knew that everything coming out of her mouth was bullshit, but she couldn't bear the silence, nor could she bear Ivy's apparent sadness that she had created.

"Harley! -" Ivy spoke cutting through Harley's mutterings, "- Kiteman and I, we didn't get married, I uh, I left him," Ivy spoke the last part quietly, still feeling guilty about the mess she had created four months ago. She watched Harley's body straighten up.

Ivy hadn't gone through with the wedding. Ivy wasn't married. Ivy had left him. The pools of thoughts overfilled in Harley's mind, after learning of Ivy's singleness. This entire time, whilst Harley had been moving on from a girl, she believed to be happily married, was single and lonely and waiting for her to return. She couldn't deny that she felt foolish but overtly happy, receiving a large ego boost from Ivy's revelation.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Harley feigned sadness for her friend. Whilst she was happy that Ivy waited on her return, and had left Kiteman, and there was technically nothing standing in the way of her and Ivy getting together. Harley knew that Ivy most likely loved her platonically, as she had said herself. Harley wasn't to be trusted with Ivy's heart. 

Despite trying to suppress it, Harley was angry. She had spent months trying to get over the mark Ivy had left on her, and within minutes Ivy had come back into her life and knocked down the walls she had built, sending Harley flying onto her ass in the process. Harley was stubborn, and she knew it. And she knew that she would have to put those walls back up quickly. _No more falling for Ivy._

"It's fine, it was like four months ago now." Ivy dismissed Harley's apology and tried to play down the severity of the situation. Ivy had made it explicitly clear to Harley that she was single and ready to mingle. She was already sleeping in Harley's bed. How was Harley not picking up on these things? Four months ago, Harley would have probably tossed her halfway across the room by now. However, current Harley looked rigid in her spot.

"Hey Ive, do you mind turning on the light, a girl can't see shit." Harley chuckles trying to uplift the mood, she knows that Ivy is watching her, and she doesn't want to give off anything, she doesn't want to be reminded of her feelings towards her best friend.

Without taking her eyes off of Harley, Ivy steps to the side and switches on the light of the room. She was surprised Harley wasn't asking more about the previous subject. _Wouldn't Harley be happy?_ Before she left, Harley had made it clear that she believed that Kiteman was the reason her and Ivy hadn't gotten together. She was right of course, but it had taken time for Ivy to admit that.

But that's when Ivy spotted it. The reason Harley wasn't overreacting, or in her arms like she had been months ago. A small bruise placed delicately on Harley's neck, and another placed just above it.

"Uh, Harls what's that?" Ivy took a step forward, placing a finger on the hickey that marked her former lover's skin. Harley had been with someone else during these four months. Harley hadn't been alone. _Had Ivy miscalculated her feelings_? Ivy knew that in the time they were separated, Harley's feelings might change, but she had believed that she and Harley had a chance once she returned.

"Oh, uh, this ol' thing. Yeah, I uh, I couldn't like, uh, cover it." Harley could barely make it through the sentence. She hadn't expected Ivy to see it, nor had she expected the tinge of jealousy that laced Ivy's tone of voice. _Was Ivy being possessive? Of her?_

Meanwhile, Ivy's gears were spinning in her head. To say that she was upset would have been a drastic understatement. She was angry at Harley, unrightfully, but still angry. And she was angry at herself for being irrational enough to think that Harley would have waited for her. Harley had believed that she was wedded to Kiteman until only a few seconds ago.

In silence, Ivy moved away from where she stood, coming in front of Harley and sitting on the bed, where Harley's clothes lay, ready to be put away. Now coming around to the front, she saw a few more love bites decorating Harley's collarbone and neck in an eclectic formation. And they pissed her off even more.

Harley grabbed a pile of her folded clothes, trying to ignore Ivy's aggressive stare and the silence that the knowledge of her small fling had brought. It had only been one night, one very drunk night, and she didn't even remember the face _(or faces?)_ that left those marks. As she opened one of her drawers to put stuff away, she realised that the draw was filled with Ivy's clothes.

"Oh, uh Ive, your stuff is here," Harley uttered softly. She was a bit intimidated by Ivy's glare that was piercing through the back of her head.

"I know, I put it there." Icy. Ivy wasn't bothering to try and hide her feelings. She was mad. And she wanted Harley to know.

Her words were met with silence from Harley. She watched the blonde pushed some of her stuff to the side to slot in her clothing. She watched as she repeated this motion until Harley was fully unpacked, shoving the large duffel bag into her closet, mindful of Ivy's things.

"So…" Harley spoke cautiously. She looked around the room as she awaited an answer from her long-time best friend.

"I'll leave tomorrow morning, it's too late for that now," Ivy spoke, before settling under the covers. She had spent three month's living in Harley's room, she was not going to be shoved out now. No matter how pissed she was at Harley.

"Oh, uh, okay." Harley moved to grab a pair of pyjamas she had left out, before moving into the bathroom to change. Ivy listened to Harley's movement, scolding herself internally. She could not be mad at Harley; she had caused this. All of it. The entire mess was made by her. Now she was having to deal with the repercussions. Still, her mind disregarded this fact and kept her upset, clenching the sheets between her fists.

Harley slipped out of the bathroom, flicking the light switch off before making her way to the other side of the bed. It was most definitely not the first time her and Ivy had spent in the same bed. Though, last time they had done this, they were both much more active. Ivy had faced inwards, making Harley wonder if it was okay to do the same. To face her. Harley laid in bed, hoping that the darkness of the room would mask her wondering eyes that traced Ivy's form.

Ivy, on the other hand, was fighting within herself for the right to be angry. She was upset, but it was unfair of her to take that out on Harley. Harley hadn't done anything but exist, which was, all things considered, the start of her problems. But it was silly to blame Harley. Ivy's destruction was her own doing.

"Ive, uh -" Ivy peeked one eye open to look at the smaller girl, "- Can I, uh -" Harley motioned to Ivy's arms that were drawn into her body, "- Y' know." Ivy sighed. She may be mad at Harley, but she could never deny her, especially when she used that voice. Ivy opened her arms, causing a smiling Harley to insert herself between them, basking in the comfort. 

The two slept like that for the rest of the night. 


	4. 4. A  bigger mess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The big confrontation between the two of them, from Harley's perspective, but with a third-person narrative. It's the day after Harley's come back from her four-month prolonged leave, and she needs to deal with Ivy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not proofread this, so have fun :), also I imagine Harley to be a crying arguer, so yeah.

It was the day after Harley had returned, and currently, she was being showered with attention from all areas. She had yet to put back her signature red and blue into her hair, and she was still in "normal clothes" as the crew liked to call it, but sitting on the couch, talking to King Shark, Clayface and Barbara ( _surprising to her as well_ ), Harley couldn't feel more at home.

She had already filled in the others about her long vacation, and even Selina had dropped by to say 'hi' with a welcome back note from Batman. She had severely missed talking to her friends, being in the presence of her friends, _seeing_ her friends. Those four months in that cottage had been self-induced social isolation until the very end of it. Still, she hadn't talked to Ivy about everything that had happened the night before.

She was presently entertaining the notion that it was the late-night and the long-term separation that had caused Ivy's possessive behaviour. She wouldn't allow herself to believe anything more. Ivy hadn't questioned her anymore about the mark on her neck, and so Harley disregarded her actions and attitude as a fluke. 

King Shark and Clayface, we're currently updating Harley on everything she had missed starting from the wedding. Unbeknownst to her, they had left out the entirety of Ivy's breakdown that had followed the disastrous event. They were now discussing all the hypothetical ideas that they had come up within the last four months of where Harley was.

"Yeah, not gonna lie I thought you had gone crazy after I saw you punch the pastor in the face," King Shark chuckled, he had really believed, that Harley had gone berserk in the wake of Ivy's wedding, and was thoroughly enjoying recounting his thoughts, to a bemused Barbara Gordon, a laughing Clayface and a mildly offended Harley Quinn.

"I'm crazy, but I'm not a full-blown psychopath," She paused, "At least by my definition." The group burst into laughter following Harley's simple honesty. Harley, despite feeling understandably lightly insulted at King Shark's presumption joined in too. She had missed this.

"Yes, even Ivy believed it for a while. She moved in here just so we could focus on getting you back." Clayface added with his exaggerated accent. Harley stilled, _Ivy had moved in, to find her?_ Harley had realised Ivy had been staying in her room, but she didn't realise it had been for so long, and that Ivy had done it for her. 

"Wait, how long has Ivy been here?" Harley questioned. In her mind, Ivy had only been there last night by pure coincidence, but now as Harley actually thought it out, that would've made no sense whatsoever. Ivy's stuff had even been in her room. Harley was now realising how utterly stupid she had been.

"Uh, like three months, why?" King Shark answered confusion entwined in his tone. Like him and most of Gotham, he had believed that Harley and Ivy would have finally gotten together by now. It seemed so likely after their sex-tape had been broadcasted, and Ivy's wedding had failed, but yet the two were still running around in circles. Sharing a knowing look with Clayface and Barbara, he turned back to Harley.

"Y' know, I think you should talk to Ivy about all of this Harley, uh she was, uh really hurt after you um" He sputtered quietly. He really did want to see his two friends happy, and he was adamant to make it happen. He hadn't been allowed to fall in love with someone, he wouldn't subjugate his friends to that.

"Left? Yeah, I know, I just, I don't know how to do that," Harley sighed. It was true, she had no clue how to talk to Ivy, they hadn't talked since last night. She had believed that leaving for four months would save her relationship with Ivy, instead, it had sacrificed their synchronicity.

"Well, start by talking to her maybe?" Barbara suggested, met by faithful nods from the other two. Harley would forever thank them for their support, but this time she felt sick even thinking about all the bad things that could happen if she spoke to Ivy. It was safe to just pretend it never happened.

"It wouldn't hurt to try Harley," Clayface said as he pulled Harley up from her seat on the couch. She believed they might be slightly delusional because it most definitely will hurt, but nonetheless, she couldn't fight the three of them pushing her over to her room, where Ivy was packing her stuff.

Harley groaned. She did not want to do this. Confronting Ivy was the worst thing she could possibly think of, but she did need answers, and she did need to apologise. Harley stood outside her own door, before taking a breath and going in.

"Uh, hey Ive, -" Harley stopped to see Ivy folding a few leather jackets, _that looked the exact same?_ "-Uh, can we talk, about like, everything." Harley had no clue about how to do this, nor did she think she could with the expression of uncertainty painted on Ivy's face.

"Yeah, yeah sure, what do you need?" Ivy put the clothes into her bag, before turning her body towards Harley, shifting her weight onto one of her legs. She made this face as if to say _go on_.

"Well like-" Harley stopped, she had no idea what she was doing, no idea how to articulate her thoughts, "- How are you uh, doing with like everything? We didn't talk that much last night but you sounded upset, but maybe that was me." She knew that Ivy wasn't one to talk about feelings, forget her own feelings, but Harley needed to know what was going in her head. Ivy took a noticeable breath.

"Well honestly," Ivy awkwardly laughed, as if to relieve the tense atmosphere that was forming. It didn't work. "I was, I am upset about it you know. You just left, and I, I don't know, it kind of hurt." Ivy's view drifted towards the ground.

"But you told me to leave," Harley spoke quietly. She knew Ivy was upset about her leaving but she did ask for it. Harley remembered the words; _I don't want you to be here_. Four months ago, Ivy had said that, and Harley had complied.

"Yes, but not like that," Ivy muttered with distaste. She clearly didn't like explaining or answering for her actions. Harley knew that, but still, she pressed on.

"So, what did you mean, because obviously, I'm not getting it." She tried to not raise her voice at Ivy, but it was so damn hard, when she was acting like this was Harley's fault.

"I said to leave my wedding, not leave me!" Ivy spat back, anger had taken over her face, as she inched closer to Harley. In return, Harley moved closer, never one to retreat from a fight.

"You have no right to be angry at me!" Harley said decidedly. Why was Ivy acting like this, like everything that had happened was Harley's fault? Harley had done everything Ivy had asked. She had left for Ivy, because she knew that she couldn't be in Ivy's life, without leaving. 

"You left Harley; you did this. You chose to leave me." Ivy fought back with her, fire with fire. Harley was outraged by this. Harley hadn't chosen anything. She had chosen Ivy's happiness above hers, and _this_ was the payback she was getting. _Bullshit_.

" _You_ told me, that _you_ didn't want me in your life. Above everything, you chose Kiteman over me. You chose, I didn't do shit." Harley argued. The two women stood leaning towards each other; stances squared. Metaphorical swords had been drawn. Neither of them was backing down from this battle.

"And look at how that worked out," Harley quipped with spite. She knew that she was hurting Ivy with her words, but she was drunk on rage and revenge.

"I left him. I left him because I love you. And you left!" Ivy continued, if any of Harley's words had affected her, she didn't show it. Harley froze. Ivy loved her. Ivy had said it. For a split second, Harley's wanted to grab Ivy's head and kiss her and forget any of this had happened, but she couldn't. She would not let this go.

"You told me to leave. You did that. If you had told me I would have stayed." Harley watched, as Ivy's features dropped after accusatory statements, and she watched as Ivy put them back together, with more fury laced into them. Her eyebrows furrowed, her lips pursed, and her eyes had lost all shred of humanity in them.

"Really, you would have stayed, sure Harls." Ivy gestured to the marks on Harley's neck. _The hickeys. Ivy was upset about the hickeys_. Harley instinctively reached up to cover them. _What was Ivy insinuating?_

"You have no right, to say what I would or wouldn't have done. You weren't there. I thought you had married Kiteman." Harley was furious, now meaning for every word she spoke to be a punch to Ivy. Ivy didn't deserve to tell her that she loved her.

"I told you I wanted to be with you. And _you_ said no. I told you that Kiteman wasn't the one for you. And _you_ didn't believe me." Harley began to spew out her frustrations, she didn't care if Ivy was listening anymore, she didn't care if the other's heard, she didn't care anymore.

"I left because you said that Kiteman and I couldn't coexist in your life. I left because I loved you, and you wouldn't let me. I left because I needed to stop loving you. I left because you told me to." Harley stepped forward with every sentence, pointing her finger at the red-haired woman. It was like something had taken over her body, she wanted Ivy to feel the hurt she had. 

"These marks are from when I thought you had married a man, and I wanted to be loved back for once." Harley cried, tears falling from her eyes as she pointed towards her own neck. Ivy's eyes followed her movements, the anger was gone from her face. Now her expression mirrored that of concern. 

The two stood in silence, watching one another. Harley's tears flowed off her jawline as she stared at Ivy with a frantic appearance. Both of them had no clue what to do after the explosion that had been their confrontative argument. Four months of hurt and frustration had been spilt in the past few minutes of uncontained yelling between them.

Ivy reached up to slowly wipe a few tears off of Harley, resuming the caring figure that she had always been to Harley. Ivy's eyes refused to meet hers, no matter how hard she looked. Ivy's mouth opened and then shut and then opened again, but nothing came out. And then it happened. Ivy kissed Harley. Harley returned it, in a moment of weakness.

They kissed for a moment, nothing heavy, no movement at all. Just a beautiful, sweet, prolonged kiss between them. It had been so long since both of them had felt such raw love. They spent the kiss trying to soak the feeling of it up, holding one another, caressing arms and shoulders. The kiss became more desperate, as they clawed at one another, using this as an outlet of all their pain and aggression.

As they pulled back, a new feeling arrived in the pit of Harley's stomach. Anxiousness. She watched Ivy, trying to find out what the undistinguished emotion was on her face. She didn't know what they had just done. It had been nice, but it hadn't fixed anything.

"I'm sorry." The words were whispered by Ivy, as she stared at the ground, breathing heavily after their kiss. Harley stared at her; _she couldn't possibly think that a kiss would fix everything. S_ he couldn't forgive Ivy, at least not right now.

"No," Harley stated as a reflex. She hadn't even forged a sentence in a mind, but she needed Ivy to know that she couldn't just kiss her, and it would all be over.

"What?" Ivy looked up for a split moment, only to catch Harley straightening up and looking towards the door of the room. Harley turned back to face Ivy, before continuing.

"No, you don't get to kiss me and think that everything is okay. Because it isn't." Harley began to move away from Ivy, trying to overlook the tormented look on her _best friend? lover? ex-lovers?_ face.

"I didn't mean-" Ivy's words were cut off by the door shutting behind Harley, as she moved away from the room ignoring the stunned look on Clayface, King Shark and Barbara who had obviously overheard the conversation. She moved towards the entrance of the hotel.

She couldn't deal with this right now.


	5. 5. A resolve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harley visits Ivy a few days after their fight. Harley is still frustrated over the outcome of their fight and has gone on an anger-fuelled rampage, meanwhile, Ivy has withdrawn and opted to say at her's during the entire thing. More fight ensues but this time there might be a resolve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this took so long, I've been super busy the past week and haven't had enough time to sit down and write. This chapter is a bit longer than the rest, so I hope that it makes for it. Also, some fluff for you guys at the end, because I was kinda sick of writing sad stuff. I just want Harley and Ivy to be happy.
> 
> Also, this isn't proofread so uh good luck.

After their big fight, Harley and Ivy hadn't spoken to one another in a few days. Ivy, who had moved back to her old place was comforted by Frank and occasionally Selina when she visited briefly. Harley, on the other hand, was slowly putting herself back together, to her former glory. Her hair had been dyed back to red and blue, her polyester costume back on, and her bat swinging side to side to maim anyone who comes into her general direction. 

Anyone could tell that Harley was _pissed_. Despite only being back in Gotham for four days, she had robbed two banks, started a fire just outside Riddle U and punched the shit out of Batman during a scuffle. Though King Shark and Clayface watched and supported Harley during her bat-shit crazy exploits, they were seriously worried, but since their last push had ended disastrously, they kept quiet.

Ivy spent most of her days in her greenhouse, watering her plants, weeding and creating chemicals using her extensive knowledge of biochemistry. Anything to keep her mind off of Harley. She had seen the headlines, and the photos and it concerned her. But at the end of the day, she realised Harley was mad at her, and though she hoped it would pass soon. Ivy had no clue what she was doing, or how she would fix it. She just waited calmly, until Harley wanted to talk to her.

Harley was also waiting, she was waiting for an apology, and she was fed up she hadn't gotten one yet. She checked her phone often enough, in case Ivy had shown some interest in talking to her, and still, nothing. Ivy hadn't contacted her in any way, and Harley was sick of waiting. She had a bunch of swirled negative emotions stewing inside of her, that was anticipating Ivy and her second confrontation.

And so, on her fifth day back in Gotham, and after four days of not speaking to Ivy. Harley opted out of crew bonding at the bowling alley and went to see Ivy. She didn't bother knocking at Ivy's door, rather picking the lock and making her way in herself. But instead of Ivy, Harley was met with a talking plant, a  _large, nosy talking plant._

"Oh good, you're here," Frank laughed upon seeing a fuming Harley break her way into Ivy's house.

"Where's Ivy?" Whilst Harley usually loved Frank's companionship, she was a bit wrapped up in her own emotions to make light-hearted small talk.

"Like I'd know, that bitch is probably somewhere sulking over her plants," Frank spoke, and for a split second, Harley dropped her anger after hearing Ivy being referred to as a bitch. Ivy was a bitch, but only _she_ could say that.

With no more information coming out of Frank, Harley stomped around Ivy's place, checking her individual rooms, before seeing Ivy back faced to her, in loungewear, tending to her plants in the greenhouse. 

"Selina, I think this might be the first time I've ever heard you enter my house," Ivy called over her shoulder, not looking behind at the enraged Harley Quinn who was staring at her in befuddlement.

"It's not Selina," Harley grumbled, loud enough for Ivy to catch, and spin around suddenly. They stared at each other for a brief moment, before Ivy's words quickly began to fill up the silent space.

"Oh, uh hey Harley," _That was stupid_. Ivy berated herself mentally as she watched Harley's face transform with even more anger. _Why did you do that, she's going to be so mad._

"Seriously, that's what I get, a _hey Harley_! I haven't heard from you in days and this is what I get, a _hey_!" Harley was livid, and Ivy was wondering what to do now. She had thought that by now, Harley's anger would have subsided, but she was wrong, _very wrong_.

"Well, you didn't want to see me, so I wasn't expecting you to be here." Ivy tried to offer an explanation, but Harley was clearly not taking it.

"I was waiting for you to apologise!" Harley's voice got louder, scaring some of the plants. Ivy stilled, whilst she loved Harley, her plants will and would always be her number one priority. They were effectively her children after all.

"Harley can we-" Ivy was interrupted by a loud, angry Harley who wasn't looking to be nice. 

"No, you don't get to do that! This is exactly how last time went, with you deflecting!" With every word Harley got louder and louder, causing the plants around her to move further and further away from the source of the sound. Harley was far to wrapped up in her anger at Ivy, that she barely noticed the change's happening around her. 

"Harley, please can you-" Ivy was disrupted again by Harley, who was completely unaware about the damage she was causing. Ivy watched in horror, as her plants began to whimper and shy away from the two women.

"No! You don't get to ask me anything, after everything you've done." Harley's voice was booming now, causing the plants to let off shrill screams of fear that could only be heard by Ivy's ears. Ivy's eyes shifted around her; she didn't know what to do. She didn't want to upset Harley, but Harley was hurting her plants. She tried to get Harley's attention yet again.

"Harley-" She couldn't even get another word out before Harley, who was in slight hysterics began yelling again.

"Why did I think that everything would be okay because you always do this, you always divert your feelings, you always -" This time Harley was interrupted by a much louder Ivy.

"Harley you are scaring the plants!" Harley turned to look around at the plants that surrounded her and Ivy. And sure enough, each plant was straying off, though grounded by their pots, they eagerly bent away from the unfolding scene. Looking up at Ivy, who was clearly trying to not show the upset on her face but was failing, guilt started to settle in the pit of Harley's gut.

"I'm, uh, I'm sorry." She hung her head, she was upset at Ivy, but she knew how much plants meant to her, and would never intentionally hurt plants to get at Ivy. Even she wasn't that evil.

"Can we go inside, please?" Ivy spoke quietly, hesitantly watching her plant's which were recovering from the tense situation from beforehand. Harley nodded in silence, and the pair made their way back, moving into the bathroom, as it was the only place where there were no plants, and therefore no listening ears to their conversation.

"I, I did want to talk to you, but I just, I didn't know if you wanted to," Ivy started, she needed to get this out. She knew she had hurt Harley; she had heard it in her voice, in the greenhouse, in Harley's bedroom and four months earlier on Ivy's wedding day.

"I was waiting for you to approach me. I didn't know if you wanted me in your life anymore." Ivy continued, ignoring Harley's silence. She didn't know if Harley would accept her apology, but she could try. 

Harley stayed quiet; her emotions were in all places. She was guilty she had hurt Ivy's plants. Though she couldn't talk to them, she knew they were just as alive as her, and she knew that Ivy could hear them. But at the same time, she was angry, Ivy had hurt her, and all she wanted was an apology and still, Ivy couldn't give that to her. She wanted to go back to six months ago before any of this had happened; before she kissed Ivy, before she slept with Ivy, before she fell in love with Ivy. She just wanted her version of normalcy back.

"Uh Harls, I'm sorry. I really am." Those words made Harley look up at Ivy, though still staying silent, sniffling when her tears were too much. Harley had been listening for those words.

"I'm sorry I hurt you. I've been denying myself for a long time, I guess, I guess it seemed easier for me to just go along with it you know and, but now I realise I hurt a lot of people delaying the inevitable." Ivy paused for a moment, to recollect her thoughts. She hadn't yet looked at Harley's face, she just stayed staring into space.

"And by doing that I hurt you the most. I didn't mean to, it just happened." Harley watched as Ivy's thoughts poured out of her mother in pure admiration. She knew Ivy, and Ivy never wanted to talk about what she felt, or take ownership of her actions, and yet here she was doing it.

"I was just trying to keep myself safe, but in doing so, I hurt you and Charles and everyone else, and I am so sorry." Ivy blinked away some tears that remained in her eyes, still looking everywhere but Harley's gaze. It scared her to be this vulnerable, to be this open, and it scared her that there was a chance that Harley wouldn't accept this apology. She was scared, and she needed to admit it.

"I was so scared of hurting myself, and my life that I forgot about how much I would hurt everyone else. I was being selfish; I know that now." Ivy was rushing through her words. She knew that she needed to say them but that didn't mean she wanted to.

"I love you I do, and I'm sorry I kissed you. I just, you were saying how you wanted to be loved, and I was jealous and I just, I acted on impulse. And I shouldn't have-" She was stopped by a pair of lips engulfing her own. Harley's lips.

The kiss was desperate, and forceful, with Harley pushing Ivy back towards the wall. Ivy was in shock for a moment before she settled into it. She didn't know whether Harley was reacting to her words or accepting her apology or even both, but she didn't mind, she just wanted Harley right now. Their lips enveloped over each other, in a synchronised performance, with their months of tension, anguish and love seeping into each other through their kiss. 

"Thank you." Harley sighed against Ivy's lips. She was genuinely happy for the first time in months. She had received her apology, she was kissing the woman she loved, and she felt loved. Nothing could be better than that. She was aware that there was definitely more that the two needed to discuss before they moved on with their lives. But for a pause in time, they were content in their bubble.

As they pulled back, Harley giggled at Ivy's wide-eyed expression. She quickly settled on Ivy's lap as they sat on the bathroom floor, immersed in the afterglow of Ivy's confession.

"So, you love me huh?" Harley teased Ivy, who still had pure shock painted on her face. Ivy was trying to logically explain Harley's actions. She knew that Harley would probably have forgiven her, but she didn't expect _that kind_ of forgiveness. 

"Yeah, I think I do." Ivy looked high, as she stared off into space, slowly realising that Harley Quinn was an enigma, whose actions could never be explained logically. Still, she couldn't understand why Harley had forgiven her so easily. She had expected throwing of objects, a swinging bat and maybe a few injuries, but _nothing_.

"Harls, are you sure everything's okay?" Harley knew what that meant. Ivy was inadvertently asking if Harley was thinking or making the right choice. She had said that phrase in the same tone multiple times. Most of those times are when Harley would agree to go back to the Joker. But now, Ivy was asking about herself.

" Ive, I just wanted you to apologise. And you did that, so yeah. Everything is great." Harley responded trying to help Ivy understand her actions. 

"I'm sorry about losing my cool in front of the plants though, do you mind apologising for me." She mumbled she did feel bad about that. 

"Of course, I will." Ivy pushed Harley gently, allowing both of them to get up and exit the bathroom, making their way towards the living room, where Harley picked up one of Ivy's plants and loudly exclaimed an apology, to the amusement of Ivy.

Settling into the couch, Harley laid on Ivy whilst Ivy played with her hair. They lay in silence for a moment, before Harley spoke up. She needed Ivy to answer some questions before she could fully forgive Ivy and get them over this bump they were having.

"Ive, -" She mumbled into Ivy's sleeve before looking up at her. "- What did you mean, when you said I left you. I know I did, but it sounded like you meant more. I don't know maybe that's the therapist side talking or something." Ivy shifted, obviously feeling uncomfortable at the thought of their previous argument.

"Uhm, well, when I left, the uh wedding, I went to find you, and well you weren't there, and I got uh, upset." Ivy murmured, her voice only loud enough to reach Harley's ears.

"You went looking for me?" Harley wouldn't admit it, but that was a big ego boost on her part. Ivy, Poison Ivy, _miss 'I don't need anyone'_ , wanted Harley.

"Yeah, I uh kinda realised during my vows, that I may have loved you instead." Harley wasn't used to flustered Ivy, but she was revelling in it. She made Ivy blush and squirm, which was possibly her greatest achievement.

"Hmm, that's nice." Harley was happy with that answer, but she had one more question to ask.

"So..." Harley dragged out the word to keep Ivy's attention. "Where you really that jealous about the hickeys?" Harley tried to stifle a laugh as Ivy went red as her hair again.

"Well yeah, of course, I was" Ivy tried to keep her answer short as if to save herself from embarrassment. She tried to ignore Harley's look of clear enjoyment at Ivy in her discombobulated state.

"But why?" Harley didn't really care about the answer, she just enjoyed watching Ivy struggle with her vulnerability. Ivy who was always so cool, poised and levelheaded was suddenly fumbling with her words in Harley's presence, and she loved it.

"I don't know, some part of me thought of you as mine, even if you weren't. It's just stupid. I was being stupid." Ivy responded, slightly abashed at the acknowledgement of her possessiveness over Harley.

"It's not stupid, it's actually really cute. Can I let you know a secret?" Harley giggled quietly as she sat up to stare at Ivy's face. At that moment, Ivy observed Harley's face, blown away by the beauty of the giggling blonde in her arms. Ivy nodded as if to tell Harley to continue.

"I can't even remember what he looks like," Harley laughed before continuing, "I was really drunk." Setting both women into fits of laughter on the couch. Soon, the noise died down, and it was Harley quietly snoring in Ivy's arms. The whirlwind of emotions she had felt today had left her exhausted. Ivy smiled as she watched Harley asleep on top of her, combing through her hair in light strokes.

It wasn't until Selina crept through the window, observing the two-sleeping woman on the couch, in an intimate embrace that Gotham seemed at peace for a short second.


End file.
